The Meeting
by AllisonReader
Summary: Jill's first friends of Narnia dinner


Jill's First Friends of Narnia Dinner

"Come on Pole we're going to be late. My cousins won't like it if we are even the tiniest bit late; they can get quite upset to say the least, minus Lucy that is." Eustace said dragging her to the professor's door.

"Well you needn't pull off my arm I _am_ coming Scrubb." Jill said exasperated.

"They have been very anxious and excited to meet you… especially Lucy."

"It's all so very easy for you, you've known your cousins forever not just as legends told in grand halls and around fires! Scrubb, you only had to meet two living legends where as I have to meet six! Six Scrubb!" Exclaimed Jill as they came up to the door. Eustace then rang the doorbell.

"That's what you think, I" he was cut off as the door was opened by the professor.

"Ah, Eustace, my boy, come in and you must be Jill. We have heard much about you.

Right this way; we're starting in the parlor."

"What were you going to say before the door was opened?" Asked Pole in a shy whisper to Eustace.

"I'm sure it will come up later tonight." Scrubb whispered back to her.

"You two needn't whisper here, especially for us who are a little harder of hearing. Never can quite trust my ears sometimes. I don't think anyone will take offence from what you say and pick up a sword and make you fight for your honour." Said the professor with a laugh as they entered the small parlor.

"Now, time for proper introductions; Eustace." The Professor coaxed.

"Jill, this is Professor Digory Kirte, one of the first people in Narnia."

"It is nice to meet you sir, I am interested in hearing your story from your point of view."

"And this is Polly, the professor's friend who was with him on his journey in Narnia. She likes us to call her Aunt Polly; Aunt Polly, Jill."

"It's nice to meet you Jill."

"Same Aunt Polly." Jill replied shyly.

"And now my cousins in order they are sitting and sat in Cair Paravel with their titles. King Edmund the Just, High King Peter the Magnificent, Queen Susan the Gentle, and Queen Lucy the Valiant." Each king or queen gave the illusion of a bow without getting up from the sofa they were on with a regal dip of their heads when they heard their title.

"We welcome you Jill as a friend of Narnia." Peter said as regally as if holding court. "Oh, and one more thing, here we never use our titles. Eustace is still trying to get use to the fact we're kings and queens." Said Peter less kingly and joking with the last part.

"It's nice to meet you all." Jill replied shyly.

"Now question time." Said Edmund gleefully in an almost joking way.

"Oh, Ed, don't scare the poor girl." Lucy told her brother.

"Lu, I promise I will be nice. Soo, you go to the same school as Eustace, Correct?"

"Yes."

"Have you or haven't you heard of many legends of Narnia from Narnians?"

"What kind of question is that? I've heard them from owls, marsh-wiggles, dryads, dwarves, and I've even heard parts of them on the back of a centaur." Jill asked in an alarmed voice.

"That's why he asked you the question; if you hadn't been to Narnia you would have been confused." Said Eustace.

"No one here knows anything of marsh-wiggles they are purely Narnian." Susan replied with a sigh that said I don't want to be here, this is stupid.

"Why don't we go and enjoy our delicious Narnian style meal; I'm sure it's done." Said Aunt Polly with a clap.

"What a brilliant idea Polly, then we can start our stories of Narnia." The professor said happily.

"Oh! That time already! I must be off, I promised my friend I would go and watch her play, she has the lead. I couldn't bear to be late. It was nice meeting you Jill, truly, but I can't believe I almost forgot. I'm sure you'll come again. Good-bye everyone." Susan said as she rushed out the door before any one could say anything.

"Well she certainly has got good at avoiding talking about Narnia lately." Lucy said wrinkling her nose.

"Don't worry Lu, I'm sure it's just a fad of hers; it will be over before you know it" Peter told his youngest sister gently.

"So Jill was Eustace as big a pain as normal on your trip." Asked Edmund.

"Hey!" Eustace cried out.

"Well Ed, that was a little uncalled for" Peter replied.

"Come on Pete, aren't you a little curious if he slipped back into his habits?" Ed asked.

"A little, Jill you don't have to answer if you want to, and Eustace but we would like to hear here point of view" Peter said with a shrug.

"I don't mind answering; I'm afraid that it was me, who kept messing up." She blushed looking at her feet.

"Ah, well, we'll hear your side of the story soon enough." Said Ed.

"How about we eat first?" Polly asked.

"Grand idea, Aunt Polly." Said Peter.

"I say Pete, you think about your stomach as much as Ed!" Exclaimed Lucy.

Both kings then yelled at the same time "Hey". As the others giggled at the outburst, Peter and Edmund joined.

Polly had made Narnian styles of fish and potatoes as well as many types of vegetables prepared with Narnian styled poultry. The center piece on the table was a low basket over flowing with bright, shiny, red apples as both a tribute and a joke.

"Aunt Polly, Why apples?" Edmund asked sounding quite horrified as they entered the dining room.

"Apples have been very important to Narnia, I would think you would know that Edmund" Polly answered airily almost sounding offended in a joking way as everyone sat at their designated spot.

"Oh yes Ed, how could you ever forget." Giggled Lucy.

"What's wrong with apples?" Asked Jill confused.

"Let the stories begin." Muttered Eustace under his breath bracing himself for what was to come.

"My, I am surprized that none of the stories mentioned apples" Replied Digory.

"Nothing is wrong with apples per say, some of us are still sick of them from our second journey to Narnia." So Peter started the story after they prayed for their meal in both the Lord's name and Aslan's. Peter only being interrupted when Lucy or Edmund had something to add. Peter ended up telling only part of the story where Lucy did not have anything to say. "That is the reason we still don't eat apples, even Susan won't touch them." Peter finished.

"Is that the only reason apples are important?" asked Jill.

"Goodness no" said Aunt Polly and Professor Kirte at the same time that the rest sent a resounding cry of "NO" up.

"Ah, our story now Polly, shall I tell it?" asked the professor.

"Of course Digory I'll add where I need to."

"From the beginning then." Started Digory. He told the story animatedly giving impressions where needed. "When the tree blew down, I couldn't stand to let it be chopped into fire wood. So I had it fashioned into a lovely wardrobe through which Lucy found her way to Narnia for the first time." The professor finished.

"When we came back, we figured out that he had been to Narnia before, and that he had to be the boy who first came into Narnia." Said Peter.

"Lu, figured it out first." Edmund put in.

"Then poor Eustace he didn't know what he got himself into. When we got back from _the _voyage with Eustace, his first meeting of the friends; Peter and Susan had put on their noble airs and were looking quite regal to greet him. He looked very alarmed, and knew that they weren't just his older cousins he always knew, they were noble, they are royalty." Said Lucy.

"No Lu, you could tell he looked terrified like Su or I would bite his head off." Peter elaborated with a chuckle at the memory.

"You would be scared too if you learned your cousins, _you spied on_, were a royalty and great warriors whom have been in a good many battles. Not to mention that while they might not bite my head off could still very easily remove it." Eustace defended himself. "See Pole, you hadn't anything to fear. I had to worry about ridicule and being knocked down, much easier for you."

"Now tell us your side of the story, We've heard Eustace's but, he's still learning the art of storytelling." Lucy said.

"Alright, it all started behind our school. That's where Scrubb found me blubbering" Jill started nervously. Both Polly and Digory shared a look of similar remembrance. Before Jill knew it she was finishing her story. "With that Aslan fixed the wall and was gone." Jill finished with a sigh of relief.

"That was well done Jill, well done indeed." Said Professor Kirte.

"I still haven't really seen Narnia itself yet, I've practically always have been out of country" Eustace complained.

"Polly and I were sent out of Narnia on tasks both times." Digory said thoughtfully.

"Professor you often mention that you and Aunt Polly have been to Narnia twice; but, I don't think we've ever heard about it" said Peter.

"It's a long tale which will have to wait until next time" Digory replied.

A course of sighs and whys went around the younger people.

"Because it is getting late and as much as we may wish we are in Narnia we unfortunately are not. Here in England most of you are still school aged children to the adults of this world." Polly said as the Penvensies, Eustace and Jill got up. They were lead to the door said their good-byes and started to leave.

"So Pole that wasn't too bad was it?" asked Eustace.

"No Scrubb it wasn't." She answered in a thoughtful, dreamy, almost tired way.

"Did you enjoy your time?"

"Yes, especially when they told your story of you being a dragon" she teased.

"Will you come with me again?"

"Of course, I want to hear aunt Polly and the Professor's story."


End file.
